Bloodstained Banners
by DunktheLunk
Summary: Live in the present, remember the past, and fear not the future.
1. chapter 1

**A/N: I don't own Inheritance Cycle, the great Paolini does.**

Saphira watched as the young dragons, a few her own children, danced on the air currents as their riders practiced aerial combat. She would be up there with them, but the massive blue dragon had other things on her mind that day.

 _"Oh Eragon,"_ She thought to herself " _Almost five hundred years, and it still hasn't gotten any easier."_

A dark vivid memory crept into her mind. She could almost smell the smoke and hear the clashing of swords and the screams of dying men. She shook her head and concentrated on other things before the memory got to the worst part, the part she wanted desperately to forget.

 **Jacyn**

As the dragons and riders flew through the sky, Jacyn felt a wave of sorrow and guilt wash over the entire valley. He looked at the other riders, and knew they had felt it too.

" _What was that_?" He asked Vikaria, his dragon.

" _Saphira_." She replied sadly. " _Today is Uzvandag._ "

Victory day. The day the Riders had thrown the enemy known as the Revos Impirium from the shores of Alagaësia nearly five hundred years ago. Jason knew all about that day, he had been there after all. It had been a great victory, but it had come at a cost.

He signaled to the other Riders and they flew toward the training fields. The other dragons and riders, trainees, landed in a half circle around Vikaria.

"Alright, good work today." He told them. "Rikar, remember to protect your blind side, Evan, trust your dragon when he rolls and you won't lose your sword again, and Mekran, tell your rider before you roll like that so he doesn't lose his sword."

The newest rider looked down as his face turned red at the mention of his 'incident'.

"Alright, go get cleaned up and ready for dinner" He told them "There's going to be a meeting afterwards."

 **That evening**

"Alright settle down you lot!" Jacyn called as he banged his cup on the table. A hush fell over the room as the twenty five riders and trainees under his charge looked up at him. "We've got a lot to talk about and not a lot of time. First off, congratulations to Rose and Taya on completing their blades and officially becoming riders."

"Here here!" The group shouted, congratulating the two girls.

"Second." He continued. "It's that time of year again, so guard rotations are up for grabs. Anyone who doesn't currently have an assigned trainee can submit a request to me for any of the open postings, and I'll choose who goes where based on that, as well as the need of the post. Current postings are Carvahall, Fathren Dur, Greypoint, and everyone's favorite, Northpoint."

A collective groan went up at the mention of the worst posting in Alagaësia. Jacyn laughed softly, then took a more somber tone.

"As you all know, today is Uzvandag." He said. The room got quiet again, so quiet you could hear the fire cracking in the hearth. "It's been five hundred years since the end of the war. It was hard fought, but in the end, we won. But that victory didn't come without sacrifice. Thirty five riders, thirty two dragons, and thousands of men, elves, dwarves, and Urgles gave their lives in the defense of Alagaësia. Their blood was the wave that drove the Impirium back across the water. So tonight, we remember them." He stood and lifted his cup. "To the heroes!"

"To the heroes!" The riders echoed as they drank.

"With that being said, the Queen is coming to visit two days from now. Everything about this place needs to be perfect." He said. That got their attention.

"The Queen?" Whyla, one of the elves asked. "As in Arya?"

"Yes as in Arya." Jacyn replied. "That's all the announcements for tonight, make sure you all pay your respects to Saphira, and the shrine. Also as a side note, we're getting three new trainees at dawn, so if you're a senior rider meet me on the proving fields before first light."

Later that night, Jacyn climbed to the top of the mountain alone to visit an old friend and mentor. He wasn't surprised to find Saphira already there.

 _"Hello little one."_ She said as he approached.

" _Hello Saphira_." Jacyn replied.

He walked toward the shrine and placed his hand on the crystal. There, encased in the same crystal as his father, was Eragon. There was the reason Uzvandag was so hard on Saphira. It was the day she had lost her rider. She had been inconsolable for almost twenty years, and had nearly gone mad, but Jacyn and Leeana, Eragons first students, had managed to bring her back. She still had her moments, but she was stable now.

"Hello old friend." Jacyn said. "I thought I'd come tell you some good news. We're back up to seventy riders, and more are on their way."

He sat in silence for a moment, wondering what to say next, and mind wandered to an old, dark memory.


	2. Chapter 2

**Five hundred years ago**

"Their line is breaking! Jacyn, take your riders left and keep them on this side of the river!" Eragon shouted.

Jacyn waved his sword as Vikaria took off, followed by five other dragons and riders.

 _"What do you hope to gain by sending him away from the fighting?"_ Saphira asked.

Before Eragon could reply, there was a thunderclap followed by the shriek of a dying dragon. Eragon looked up to see an orange dragon with a burning hole in its throat fall through the clouds into the soldiers below.

"Hopefully it will keep him from getting killed." Eragon replied out loud. "We've got to put an end to that witch before…"

He was cut off by a rumbling sound as the orange dragon began to shake, then it stood, eyes glowing red. It roared and sent a burst of white hot flame from its mouth, incinerating thirty or more soldiers where they stood.

" _No_!" Saphira roared. " _I'm tired of these magic tricks._ "

It was no trick, however. With the arrival of the Rivos Impirium had come a terrible new form of spellcaster, one that could resurrect the dead as a mindless minion. They could raise armies that feared nothing and had unlimited strength and resolve. Their only weakness was the spellcaster that resurrected them. If you could kill them, all the undead under their command would fall, leaving only the living soldiers. The problem was getting close enough to kill the spellcaster. In some ways they were more dangerous than a shade. Through the smoke, Eragon could see the enemy leader, who called himself The Magister, and his generals standing on a rock overlooking the battle.

" _It's time to end this._ " He told Saphira.

She roared in agreement and took off, staying just above the ground, flying full speed at the enemy leaders.

Across the battlefield, Jacyn heard the unmistakable roar of Saphira. He looked and saw her flying full speed toward the enemy leaders position.

" _They've gone mad_ " Vikaria cried. She turned and sped toward the larger blue dragon, but by that time it was already to late.

Eragon saw the lighting bolt coming before Saphira did, which, he figured, was why it hit him. The magic that The Magister and his spellcasters used was somewhat different than what he had seen before. This magic was more physical, not just instantaneous or in the mind. It was also an offense based magic, meant for attack and battle. Eragon felt the thunderclap as the bolt exploded against him, ripping him from his saddle and throwing him to the ground. He was glad Saphira had been flying low, any higher and he would've died on impact. As he rolled on the ground, he saw Saphira still flying toward the spellcasters. As she started to shoot flame at them, the orange dragon that had been turned came out of the clouds and attacked her, driving her away.

As Eragon stood to his feet, he felt blood running down his side. He looked down and saw his right side was soaked in bright red blood. He didn't have the time or energy to heal a wound like that, so he cast a quick spell to stop the blood flow and looked toward the Magister, who was slowly approaching.

"Kingslayer!" The Magister shouted "At last we meet face to face. Your reputation precedes you, though I expected someone taller."

Eragon coughed and spit blood. The injury was more severe than he had thought. "On behalf of all the people of Alagaësia, I would like to say farewell. Your lines are broken, your soldiers are running scared, and you have no chance of beating the Riders. So get back on your boats and go back to whatever gutter you crawled out of."

Eragon smirked as The Magister sneered. He drew his sword as crystal-like blades appeared in The Magisters hands, and with that, they charged each other, ready to end the war once and for all.

Jacyn watched as Eragon and The Magister hacked and slashed at each other.

" _Come on, we can't help him._ " Jacyn said " _We need to help Saphira first._ "

Vikaria roared in agreement and they flew up into the clouds, chasing Saphira and the orange dragon. Being the larger of the two, Saphira had the advantage over the orange dragon. She clamped her jaws down on its neck and spread her wings, twisting her body as she did to sling the smaller dragon around. Vikaria roared and joined the fight, hitting the orange dragon and breaking its wing. The orange dragon roared, then suddenly went limp. Jacyn looked and saw its eyes had gone dark.

" _Someone must have killed the spellcaster controlling i_ t." Vikaria said. " _Maybe it will be the last one._ "

Suddenly, Saphira roared in pain, but Jacyn couldn't see any injuries on her. She dove straight toward the ground, and Vikaria followed. As they dove out of the clouds, Jacyn saw what was wrong with Saphira. Below them, on fire and lying in a pool of blood with a bright blue flaming sword through his chest, The Magister. And a few feet away, with a splinter of black crystal in his gut, Eragon.

"Eragon!" Jacyn cried as he jumped from Vikarias back and ran to his dying teacher. Eragon was surprisingly calm. He knew he was about to die, and had already accepted it.

"Hey kid." Eragon said, coughing on his blood. "Guess this is it, huh?"

"No no no, I'm going to get you back to the healers." Jacyn said, panicking.

"No use." Eragon said "Whatever this thing is made of, it's blocking healing magic, and if you try to pull it out, I'll go into shock and die from blood loss before you can finish a spell. I've already worked this out. It's over for me."

"Not if I have a say in it." Jacyn said. He grabbed Eragon by his armor straps and pulled him across the ground to Saphira.

"Jacyn stop." Eragon said.

"No, I'm getting you home!" Jacyn cried "I promised her I would!"

"Stop and listen to me kid." Eragon snapped. Jacyn propped him up against Saphira, who was going crazy.

"Listen, I'm not going to make it back to camp, even on Saphira. You're in charge of the Riders now. It's up to you and Leaana to help Alagaësia rebuild, and it's up to you to rebuild the Riders. I also want you to promise me you'll take care of Saphira for me."

Jacyn nodded, fighting back tears. "What am I going to tell Arya?" He asked.

"The truth." Eragon replied. "That you did your best, but I died protecting her and our children. Now go get my sword and help me onto my dragon."

Jacyn did as he was told, and Saphira, who was already nearly incomprehensible, took off for camp as fast as she could. Jacyn ran to Vikaria, and the two of them followed the larger dragon. Jacyn looked down on the battlefield as they flew. The living troops of the Revos Impirium had fled onto the large ships they had arrived on. The remaining undead troops were broken under a Surdan cavalry charge, and the battle was won. Suddenly, the air around them was shattered by the loudest roar Jacyn had ever heard. He already knew where it had come from.

"He's gone." Vikaria said mournfully.


	3. Chapter 3

Present day

Jacyn snapped back to reality as Vikaria approached.

" _It's almost dawn_." She said " _The others are waiting for us_."

Jacyn nodded and climbed on her back. They took off, flying high above the valley they called home. When Eragon had left Alagaësia, he had struggled for almost a year to find the perfect place to settle. While he was searching, two eggs hatched, one for a human, Jacyn, and one for an elf, Leeana. The two of them had been trained by Arya until their dragons were big enough to head out in search of Eragon. Together, the three of them had found this large valley, which Eragon had named Haven. They had started out small, with just a few buildings, but as the years went by, the Riders grew, so Haven had to grow with it. After almost sixty years, Haven was a fortress, with a great hall, living and training space for the seventy Riders and dragons. Across the river that ran through the valley was the small town of Oromis. Its three hundred and fifty inhabitants of men, Elves, Dwarves, and Urgals supported Haven with everything from food to armor.

" _Here they come_." Vikaria said, breaking his train of thought. He looked up and saw a large pink and purple dragon. Close behind were three smaller dragons, one purple, one gold, and one red and silver.

 **Taya**

"We're almost there." Ras'tal, the dwarf on the pink and purple dragon called to the trainees "It's just over those mountains."

Taya sighed, staring at the mountains in the distance.

" _Something on your mind_?" Draxin, her dragon, asked.

Taya smiled and patted the red and silver dragons neck. " _I'm just a little nervous I guess_." She said " _This place is legendary. I don't feel like I deserve to be here."_

" _But I did though_." Draxin replied " _That's why we're here_." She contemplated that statement, and realized he was right.

 _"You guys ready_?" She asked Karri and Erik, the other Riders in training.

" _As ready as I'll ever be_." Erik replied.

" _Do you think Saphira is really bigger than Fírnen, or was he just making that up?_ " Karri asked.

" _Well, we're about to find out._ " Taya said as they flew over the mountains.

The sight before her took her breath away. The snow capped mountains ringed a large green valley, with a bright blue river running through the center. There was a small town on one side of the river, and across from it, her new home. Haven was a fortress, but a fortress built for dragons, so everything was twice the size it should have been. Farther down the river, the green gave way to black. Standing in the center of the black field were five large dragons, their Riders sitting on their backs.

"Land down there in front of the others." Ras'tal told them.

As the young Riders landed and began to dismount, a white dragon, larger than all but one of the others, landed in front of them. It's Rider dismounted as well and walked toward them, his dragon following close behind.

"Welcome to Haven." He said, stopping just in front of them. "My name is Jacyn, and this is Vikaria. We're the Head Rider and Dragon, and the five behind us are the senior riders. They will be your teachers until you advance to individual training with your own teacher."

He turned to Erik, who gulped nervously. "Relax kid." Jacyn said "What's your name?"

"Erik, Ebrithil." He replied.

"And your dragons name?" Jacyn asked

"Lithra." Erik said quickly.

"Let me see your sword." Jacyn said, holding out a hand. Erik drew his sword and placed it in Jacyns hand.

"I'm guessing you're from Surda?" He asked "Your sword is a lot like a mounted soldiers sword."

"Yes Ebrithil." Erik replied "I wanted a straight flat blade, since I already knew how to fight with one."

One of the many tests a young Rider had to pass before coming to Haven was forging his or her sword, under the guidance of Rhunön, the elvish smith that had forged the swords of the old Riders. After the First Rider War, she had taken an oath to never use her hands to make another weapon. But during the Second Rider War, she and Eragon had found a loophole. Using magic, she used the body of the Rider to create the sword, allowing her to go around her vow and also allow the Rider to be part of the process. The blades crafted through this process were better than those of the old Riders.

Jacyn handed the sword back and moved on to Karri. After inspecting her blade, he turned to face Taya. As he opened his mouth to speak, there was a deep thud, like a roll of thunder, followed by another, then another.

"She's up early." Jacyn said, looking up.

"Who.." Taya began, but was cut off by an ear splitting roar.

She looked up and saw the largest dragon she had ever seen diving out of the clouds. " _Looks like Fírnen was telling the truth_." Draxin said. Taya noticed the awe in her dragons voice and smiled. Saphira landed next to the white dragon, who was small compared to her.

" _Welcome home little ones_." She said


	4. Chapter 4

Jacyn sat on the balcony of his quarters next to Vikaria, drinking coffee and reading reports from the various Rider posts in Alagaësia.

"Looks like the Dwarves are about to start another clan war." Jacyn sighed, leaning back against his dragon.

Vikaria snorted and looked back at him. " _What's it over this time_?"

"Goldmines in the south of the Beor Mountains." Jacyn replied. "Five clans are involved, and if the queen can't get a grip on this, it's going to be a bloodbath."

" _Sounds like fun_." Vikaria said.

Jacyn laughed and patted his dragon. "I'm sure it does to you." He looked out over the training field, watching the new Riders practicing with their swords.

"What do you think of them?" He asked the dragon.

" _They're promising_." She replied " _The female human with the red male, Taya, she's probably the best fighter we've had in a few years. Not to mention extremely attractive for your species_."

Jacyn choked on his coffee. "You say that about every female human or elf we get." He said.

 _"I just want you to be happy little one_." Vikaria said, dropping her head and looking at him with one of her bright blue eyes. " _You've already lived six times longer than a normal man. And lately you've seemed...sad I guess_."

Jacyn smiled and rubbed his dragons nose. Suddenly, seemingly from nowhere, the elf Leeana and her dragon, Onaxis, landed on the balcony.

"You forgot, didn't you?" Leeana asked, almost in a panic as she jumped off her dragon and walked toward him.

"Forgot what?" Jacyn asked, calmly sipping his coffee. He knew exactly what she was talking about.

"Take a look." Leeana said, pointing across the valley.

Jacyn smiled as a large emerald green dragon descend out of the clouds, followed by two slightly smaller dragons.

"Right on time." He said.

"What?" Leeana asked, confused. "You remembered?"

"I did, I just wanted to see if any of you were paying attention." Jacyn said, smiling.

Leeana groaned and rolled her eyes. "I hate you sometimes brother." She said.

"I know sis." Jacyn replied. As the first of Eragons students, Jacyn and Leeana had basically grown up together, and treated each other as twin siblings.

"Get everyone to the front gate, I'll be there in a moment."

 **Sixty two years before the Revos Invasion**

" _What do you think she's like?_ " The six year old asked the dragon he was riding as they followed the elves through the forest.

" _Who_?" The white, horse sized dragon asked.

" _Arya_." Jacyn replied.

" _Well, I'm sure she's like a queen_." Vikaria said.

Jacyn rolled his eyes. " _Yes, but still, I've never met a queen before._ "

" _Well, it looks like we're about to_." Vikaria said.

Jacyn looked up and saw a large green dragon standing in the path. Next to it was a small black and purple dragon, about the size of Vikaria. Standing in front of the green dragon was a tall woman with long black hair, wearing black leather clothes. The elves that had led them through the forest bowed.

"She sure don't look like a queen." The six year old said allowed.

 **Present day**

As she climbed down from Fírnen, Jacyn couldn't help but notice Arya looked exactly how she had that day in the forest. Both of his parents were killed serving in the Varden during the Second Rider War when he was five, so Arya and Eragon had become something like parents. Even though she hadn't been around in his training much after the first year or so, he still thought of her as "Mother".

Before either of them could speak, there was an excited roar from somewhere up above. Fírnen looked at Arya, them immediately took off. Jacyn watched as the green dragon managed to intercept Saphira as she dove through the clouds. Arya laughed softly as the two dragons sped off to the far end of the valley.

"It's good to know our oldest dragons can still romp and play like they did when they were small." She said, turning to Jacyn.

"They're still young for dragons." Jacyn said, grinning "It's good to see you in person again, _Menoa_."

Arya smiled as he used the ancient word for mother. As a child, it had been the first word he had learned to say in the Ancient Language properly, and he had called her that ever since. Her smile faded as another memory crept into her mind.

"I know we have things to discuss, but I would like to see Eragon first." She told Jacyn.

"Of course." Jacyn said, leading her through the crowd of Riders and through the gates of Haven.

 **A/N: Please leave reviews on what you like, don't like, and what I can improve on. Thanks!**


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